Is there a way to make a Starlink dish that is viable for backpacking (i.e. 5kg at most, but preferably 0.5-2kg, including the solar panel and battery needed to power it) or is the satellite LTE service the only possibility?
First look at the upcoming Starlink Mini
41–50 of 208 posts
Re: First look at the upcoming Starlink Mini
#42Feels like this is a direct response to the Amazon / Project Kuiper 7” terminal announced last year: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/innovation-at-amazon/heres-...
I mean Elon has mentioned the laptop sized dish for the past couple years.
Re: First look at the upcoming Starlink Mini
#43Feels like this is a direct response to the Amazon / Project Kuiper 7” terminal announced last year: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/innovation-at-amazon/heres-...
Kuiper doesn't exist
Re: First look at the upcoming Starlink Mini
#44So is this device any less capable bandwidth wise? I noticed a price cut in the current flat dish and was planning to pull the trigger to swap with my home ISP but if this will suffice I'd rather have the portability factor too.
Re: First look at the upcoming Starlink Mini
#45Is there a way to make a Starlink dish that is viable for backpacking (i.e. 5kg at most, but preferably 0.5-2kg, including the solar panel and battery needed to power it) or is the satellite LTE service the only possibility?
If they made it possible to disable the heating element (ie. require a human to wipe snow off it) then it would be a lot more viable for hiking.
The large version draws 45-70w so a airplane carry-on legal USB-C powerbank could power it for 1-2 hours.
Re: First look at the upcoming Starlink Mini
#46Feels like this is a direct response to the Amazon / Project Kuiper 7” terminal announced last year: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/innovation-at-amazon/heres-...
A direct response to vaporware?
Re: First look at the upcoming Starlink Mini
#47What would be better to take on a work vacation? The original or the mini?
Do you have a vehicle/boat/airplane for your work vacation? Or are you walking. If I had a vehicle I would rather the bigger one.
Re: First look at the upcoming Starlink Mini
#48So is this device any less capable bandwidth wise? I noticed a price cut in the current flat dish and was planning to pull the trigger to swap with my home ISP but if this will suffice I'd rather have the portability factor too.
I believe Kuiper said their portable dish would be about 1/4 the speed; I'd imagine this is similar. Probably fewer transceivers given the size and lower power consumption.
Re: First look at the upcoming Starlink Mini
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
Page 7 of the linked FCC application says: > Power requirements: 30 V DC / 2 A via 100-240V AC/DC adaptor Presumably, when people talk about "running it from DC power" they mean a standard 12V automotive power supply, which would require a 12V to 30V step-up converter to replace the supplied AC adapter.
It isn’t necessarily implied, but if this thing is pulling a nominal 30W-40W (assuming considering the 60W PSU) then I don’t know how much use this would be for a portable device, even for RVs. That’s a pretty significant load, even for an amplified antenna, I would have thought?
I designed the 12V electrical for my F-150 camper (and some friends’) and I could easily do 2 straight days of 40W with no recharge.
My fridge pulls 50W when cycling the compressor and my current 5G modem/router pulls 15W. Indoor lights draw over 20W alone on full tilt.
I have 200W of solar on my truck and my alternator does 400W and realistically I charge at around 550W on a good day so 40W is a drop in the bucket.
RVs can have much beefier systems than my setup. I don’t full time or anything — just long time camper for 10 years before van life was a thing, so my setup is relatively low capacity.
Re: First look at the upcoming Starlink Mini
#50I plan to work and travel in Europe for 1.5 months this summer and I hope they will release it soon. Hotel/AirBnB wifi is often unstable and unreliable - you never know if Zoom will work or not. With Starlink I will have backup and at minimum will be able to take calls in the car. We will have rental car so planned to get regular Starlink but this one will be much better option.
Where do you plan to place it while staying at a hotel?